143240: Is there any difference between tahajjud and qiyaam al-layl?

What is the difference between Qiyam ul Layl and Tahajud? Also, What are the rewards for he who prays these prayers?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Qiyaam al-layl means spending the night, or part of it,
even if it is only one hour, in prayer, reading Qur’aan, remembering Allah
(dhikr) and other acts of worship. It is not stipulated that it should
take up most of the night.

It says in Maraaqi al-Falaah: What is meant by qiyaam
is spending most of the night in worship, or it was said: spending one hour
of it, in reading Qur'aan, listening to hadeeth, glorifying Allah (tasbeeh)
or sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him). End quote.

Al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah,
34/117.

Tahajjud means specifically praying at night, and some
scholars limited it to prayers that are offered at night after sleeping.

Al-Hajjaaj ibn ‘Amr al-Ansaari (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: One of you thinks that if he gets up at night and prays until
morning comes that he has done tahajjud. But in fact tahajjud means praying
after sleeping, then praying after sleeping. That is how the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah upon him) prayed. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar
said in al-Talkhees al-Habeer (2/35): Its isnaad is hasan; it
includes Abu Saalih, the scribe of al-Layth, and it is somewhat weak. It was
also narrated by al-Tabaraani, whose isnaad includes Ibn Luhay‘ah, whose
report is supported by the one that came before it. End quote.

Thus it becomes clear that qiyaam al-layl is more general
than tahajjud, because it includes prayer and other actions, and it
includes prayer before and after sleeping.

But tahajjud is exclusively praying, and there are two
opinions concerning it. The first is that it means praying at any time of
the night, which is the view of the majority of fuqaha’.

The second is that it is prayer after sleeping. See: al-Mawsoo‘ah
al-Fiqhiyyah, 2/232.

Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his
commentary on the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “And in some
parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the
Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer
Nawâfil) for you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم).
It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqâm Mahmûd (a station of praise
and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)”
[al-Isra’ 17:97]:

Tahajjud comes from hujood, which is doing one thing
and the opposite, it so the word hajada may mean he slept or it may
mean he stayed up at night, which are opposites.

Tahajjud means waking up after sleeping, and it became a name
for prayer, because the individual wakes up for it. So tahajjud means
getting up to pray at night. This meaning was given by al-Aswad, ‘Ilqimah,
‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn al-Aswad and others.

Ismaa‘eel ibn Ishaaq al-Qaadi narrated from the hadeeth of
al-Hajjaaj ibn ‘Amr, the Companion of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah upon him) that he said: Does one of you think that if he gets up and
spends the entire night in prayer that he had prayed tahajjud? Rather
tahajjud is praying after sleeping, then praying after sleeping, then
praying after sleeping. This is how the Messenger of Allah (blessing and
peace of Allah be upon him) prayed.

And it was said tahajjud means sleep, as it is said in
Arabic, Tahajjada al-rajul, meaning the man stayed up, and alqa
al-hujood, i.e., sleep. And the one who gets up to pray is called
mutahajjid. End quote from Tafseer al-Tabari, 10/307.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What
is the difference between Taraweeh, Qiyaam and Tahajjud? Please advise us,
may you be rewarded.

He replied: Prayer at night is called tahajjud or qiyaam al-layl,
as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah
(prayer) with it (i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional
prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer
Nawâfil) for you”

“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their
Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope]”

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17].

With regard to Taraweeh, the scholars use this word to refer
to qiyaam al-layl in Ramadan at the beginning of the night, which should be
made light and not lengthy. It may also be called tahajjud or qiyaam al-layl.

And Allah is the source of strength.

End quote from Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/317.

For more information on the virtues of qiyaam al-layl and the
reward of the one who does that, please see the answer to question no.
50070.

For more information on measures that will help one to do it,
please see the answer to question no.
3749.